Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to racks and holders for golf club bags and, more specifically, to a rack for a golf bag to be mounted on a motor driven golf cart.
Description of the Prior Art
The sport of golf has always enjoyed a great deal of popularity over the years both domestically and internationally. A typical golfer uses a large bag to hold the necessary golf clubs and other accessories. Many golfers either carry this large bag of clubs and accessories which the sport requires or pull their bags of clubs on wheeled carts around the golf course. However, many golfers prefer to navigate the course in a motor driven cart. Many golf and country clubs in fact require the use of motor driven carts by the golfers who play these courses. The use of motorized carts is thought to decrease playing time and permit more golfers to play the course in a given time interval.
Various arrangements of golf cart type vehicles are known and manufactured by companies including EZ-GO™, Club Car™, Yamaha™, Textron™, and Fairplay™, and are represented by such disclosures as those shown in U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D345,717; D369,762; D373,099; D395,023; D498,704; D514,981; and D746,174. These designs are merely intended to be typical of various types of golf carts which are available at the present time.
In many instances, known golf cart type recreational vehicles provide storage space in the rear portion of the cart so that various items in addition to a driver and a passenger, may also be transported. Further, it is known to provide additional seating in the rear of such carts. This type of seating may be configured to face forward or rearward and in some cases, the seat back can be flipped down or out to reveal a flat tray area that serves as a utility transport area. It is also possible to purchase conversion “kits” to add a fold-out rear seat to a standard golf cart. Such a kit is sold, for example, as the EZ-GO™ “Classic” Rear Flip Back Seat Kit, designed to fit the Yamaha EZ-GO Club Car™.
Where the golf cart features a fold-down or fold-out rear seat, there is usually no convenient place to securely retain one or more golf club bags. If the bags are merely laid flat in the rear storage area, there is the possibility that items in the bags may fall out during transport or the bags themselves may fall out. Also, the bags are not oriented at a convenient angle to allow a player to select the desired club during play.
In light of these recognized deficiencies in known golf cart designs, alternative seating accessories that provide a configuration variety to afford maximum use of the golf cart remains a desired goal. This is particularly true in the area of accessories for securely holding golf bags in the situation previously described.
Thus, while various implementations of golf cart seating accessories and golf bag securing configurations have been developed, no design has emerged that generally encompasses all of the desired characteristics as hereafter presented in accordance with the presently defined invention.